Student finance child care grant

[champagnevanity]

I will be apply for the grant, for nursery in January, I've not had any experience with this, however i know how awkward student finance can be.

I'm just wondering if anyone's had any experience with this grant? My friend applies for it and they've told her they've over paid her by £2,000 and have taken it out of her loan. Has this happened to anyone?

ARGH! Just getting a bit worried now, stupid finance!

hate people from student finance because of childcare. when i applied in 2009 i sent all informations they asked plus dh income. i received the grant for that year but last year when i reapplied with dh income being in bit lower than the first year, you know what, they sent me a letter stating that they overpaid me the year before. i had to repay 4,500. so i didn't get anything last year because they took it out and the outstanding amount left they took it again this year. at the end i went for the access for learning fund as we had to pay for childcare by ourselves.
i'm just glad that ds is in reception now bcause i don't want to stress about money on my last year.
gather every evidence they want you to send and call them all the time so that you are not left in the dark. i think student finance was created to mess up with student mind, especially mature students

I know, thats what im worried about. GRRr!

I got the Childcare money - Last year it came through OK at around 60% being paid by them and then the rest by me, although I didn't receive it until January but that was because they wanted all kinds of evidence which took ages to get to them and then they kept sending it back and asking for it again because they are complete and total fucking idiots

This year I only got just under half of it paid for which meant that apart from £100 everything I got went straight to the nursery - I was very upset as I had fully intended to buy books and other things I needed with some of it and maybe get a bit of petrol money out of it!

Be aware that they want EVERY bit of info they can get their grubby little hands on and you have to fill in a form every term to let them know actual term costs as you give them an estimate to begin with - I found it quite handy that my nursery wasn't too arsed about checking them so made sure I filled it in that every week cost the maximum any week would cost - iyswim? So if every other week was £150 and the others £120 I'd be putting £150 for the whole term.

What I'd be inclined to do is make sure your estimate states the bare minimum it would cost but then your actual amount is the highest it can be - This is the only place I would think they could get money back from. So if you think its going to be just 3 days a week for 12 weeks at £120 then say that - If it actually turns out to be 4 extra days on top of it then put that on the actual cost form which you'll recieve during the term time

They are the worst company to have any contact with because they know they usually come up against students who are barely even 18 and haven't got a clue about money - They are just an awful group of people - Good luck to you with them!

Thank you for replying. :)

However, the bastard student finance have told me, as im on my sandwich year, i'm not entitled to any grants AT. ALL.

So, no nursery money, not parents learning allowance, no extra loan, no nothing. fan-fucking-tastic. Any how, next year it will be different, as i'll be entitled, i hope.

They truly are bastards!